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[Instrumental music]
I started there in 1969 and was there for 14 years. Of course that was in the very
beginning of when the education system there was becoming more fair
appropriate public education and a lot of school systems were starting to
put the supports into place in the public school system. However, the school system
that I would have attended back in my own community never felt like they
would have had an education system that would have given me all the supports I
would have needed to get a quality education. And so they continued to be
willing to pay for my parents to take me to Indianapolis, pay the transportation
costs for my parents to take me to Indianapolis and to, the other costs that
the school system would to the School for the Blind for me to go there. My
experience was more of, it was hard, yes it was hard in the beginning to be
separated from my family and that, but it was harder on my siblings than it was on
me in that my brother couldn't understand why I had to go away to
school. Once I got adjusted to being away and that, I hated, I hated going home on
Friday, but I loved coming back on Sunday and that, and for 14 years I did that. I
was very involved in leadership activities and sports and that
throughout the years I was there. It was like having a second family.
You know, I today and as I've grown in advocacy and that if the opportunities to go to
public school would have been there,
yes that's where I would have wanted to be in, my home community. But
at the time I went to school there
that was the best option so. I do know that some individuals that were
there, they did not have good family relations, good family homes and
so it was almost like they were taken there, dropped off there and only went
home on vacation and that. My family was very supportive and that, and I can't
say that, you know, the choices they made for me at that point in time were what
was the options that were best for me. And so I can't complain about it.